Triveni Goswami Vernal
Registered Special Educator (CRR A64010)

The previous blog provided an overview of what Retained Primary Reflexes look like, the forms it can take, and the significant impacts it can have on an individual’s life, especially in the areas of attention, oro-motor skills and speech, poor fine motor skills, possible learning difficulties etc.
Today’s blog will look at the group of professionals who can work on Retained Primary Reflexes and the kind of activities that can be done at home (under the supervision of the professionals).

PROFESSIONALS THAT CAN WORK ON INTEGRATION OF RETAINED REFLEXES:
Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) can work on the integration of Retained Primary Reflexes. Both Ots and PTs are trained in Sensory Processing and SLPs can work on those reflexes associated with feeding, swallowing, rooting etc. They are eligible to assess, work on an intervention plan and then treat the individual.

SHARING SOME ACTIVITIES/EXERCISES THAT CAN BE DONE AT HOME FOR INTEGRATION OF VARIOUS RETAINED PRIMARY REFLEXES:
(Note: Please do these under the supervision of trained practitioners, and only on their recommendation after an assessment has been done)

1)Moro Reflex: Also called a Startle Reflex. It is usually triggered by a loud noise, or change in position. It is an involuntary response found in newborns.
Retained Moro Reflex: Hypersensitivity, Hyperactivity, Anxiety, Difficulty focusing etc. 
Exercise that can be done for its Integration,
“Exercise- Starfish 
-Begin seated on a chair or therapy ball.
-Curl whole body in crossing arms and legs and bring them into your body with the same arm/leg on top (right arm/leg over left arm/leg) 
-Slowly stretch out arms/legs/body to a 5 second count (starfish position). If on a ball, you can lay back on the ball
-Slowly to a 5 second count return to curled position with the other arm/leg on top  
This is one rep. Try to complete 10 reps twice a day” (Accessed from the website https://kidtherapy.org/primitive-reflex-integration-exercise-ideas/).

2)Rooting Reflex: An involuntary response found in babies where they turn their head or open their mouth when their cheek or mouth is touched.
Retained Rooting Reflex: Difficulty with feeding, swallowing, chewing, speech articulation difficulties etc.
Few exercises that can be done at home towards its integration,
“Desensitization: Gently stroke the child’s ear towards their lips: repeat 3x, stroke the child’s nose down to the moth: repeat 3x
Buzz like a Bee: Saying an extended Z sound. Try “If you’re happy and you know it, buzz like a bee”
Pom Pom Obstacle Course: Using a straw to blow a pom pom off the table, down the hall, or making it a race!” (Accessed from the website https://thenoteninjas.com/blog/f/primitive-reflex-spotlight-rooting-reflex-integration-explained).

3)Palmar Grasp Reflex: A reflex where the infant’s fingers curl around an object when it is placed on the palm.
Retained Palmar Grasp Reflex: Poor fine motor skills, Poor pincer grasp, Messy Handwriting etc.
Exercises that can be done for its integration,
• “Feeding Mr. Ball: Have a tennis ball with a slit cut into it, have them squeeze the ball to open the slit and “feed” Mr. Ball coins or other small objects
• Hand Exercises: Utilize play dough, theraputty, or squishy ball, have them squeeze it 10x using all fingers, and repeat with the other hand
• Animal Walks: Bear walks, crab walks, frog jumps, donkey kicks, and wall stands
• Scooter Board: Lay prone on scooter board and use their hands to propel themselves
• Spray Bottle Painting: Write letters or shapes on a large piece of paper, hang it outside, and use spray bottle with watered-down paint to spray over shapes/letters” (Accessed from the website https://thenoteninjas.com/blog/f/primitive-reflex-spotlight-rooting-reflex-integration-explained).

4)Plantar Grasp Reflex: A reflex where the infant’s toes curl downwards when the sole of the foot is stimulated.
Retained Plantar Grasp Reflex: Tendency to be flat footed, Toe Walking, Challenges with Running, Gravitational Anxiety etc.
Activities that can be done at home to integrate this reflex,
• Walking bare feet on various textures
• Using Foot Rollers
• Foot Massage etc
5)Stepping Reflex: It is an involuntary movement response. When placed upright with the feet touching a flat surface, the infant’s legs move in a stepping motion like walking.
Retained Stepping Reflex: Toe Walking, Difficulties with Spatial Awareness, poor Balance etc
Activities/exercises that can be done at home to integrate this reflex,
• Animal Walks
• Crawling
• Cross Body movements

6)Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR): Also called the Fencing Reflex. When the head of a baby is turned towards one side, the arm on that side will straighten, whereas the arm on the opposite side, will bend.
Retained Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR): Challenges with eye-hand coordination, balance, mid line crossing and possibilities of learning difficulties.
Activities/exercises that can be done at home to integrate this reflex,
“Marching in Place: Stand in one spot with your arms straight out in front of you and your fingers extended. Turn your head to the left while keeping your arms out straight, then march in place for 10 steps.  Have a rest then repeat with your head turned to the right” (Accessed from the website https://soundsory.com/primitive-reflex-integration-exercises/).

7)Sucking Reflex: An involuntary response seen in infants that is crucial for their survival. It involves automatically sucking when something touches the roof of their mouth.
Retained Sucking Reflex: Challenges with speech, feeding and oral motor skills.
Activities/exercises that can be done at home to integrate this reflex,
• Facial Exercises
• Blowing exercises etc

8)Swallowing Reflex: Crucial for an infant’s survival, this reflex is a result of a complex interplay of various organs such as the mouth and oesophagus, that allows the food to be moved from the mouth to the stomach for digestion.
Retained Swallowing Reflex: Gagging on food, Coughing or choking while eating, Pain during swallowing etc.
Activities/exercises that can be done at home to integrate this reflex,
• Oro-motor exercises
• Postural Control exercises
• Crawling
• Superman exercise etc.

9)Galant Reflex: It is the reflex seen in newborn babies where they laterally turn their bodies to the side, they are stimulated on, that is, if their spine is stroked in a particular direction, they tend to curve their trunk towards that.
Retained Galant Reflex: Fidgeting, Restlessness etc.
Activities/exercises that can be done at home to integrate this reflex,
“Exercise- Snow Angels 
-Lay on your back with your arms at your side and legs straight and together
-Slowly move your arms away from your body and up above your head while keeping them on the floor/ground and keeping them straight 
-At the same time move your legs apart from each other while keeping them on the floor/ground and keeping them straight
-Slowly return to the start position  
This is one rep. Try to complete 10 reps twice a day”
(Accessed from the website https://kidtherapy.org/primitive-reflex-integration-exercise-ideas/). 
Thus, we see that Retained Primitive Reflexes can be treated by trained practitioners and different kinds of activities or exercises can also be done at home with the individual, but always remember to do them under the supervision of the therapist and only if the activities/ exercises are recommended by the therapists in a home program.


RESOURCES:
https://kidtherapy.org/primitive-reflex-integration-exercise-ideas/
https://soundsory.com/primitive-reflex-integration-exercises/
https://www.youtube.com/@kidzskillz
https://drlaurenbaker.com/blog/primitive-reflexes
https://soundsory.com/primitive-reflex-integration-exercises/
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Author Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal

Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal is a Registered Special Educator (CRR: A64010), a Psychologist and an Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner (UNESCO-CID). She is an Avaz Certified Educator and Certified in Dyslexia Teacher Training. She is also an art educator for children with additional needs.

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“Rewind”
Acrylic Painting on Ivory Paper (300 GSM)
Artist: Kabir Vernal